Cuomo Takes Wait-and-See Approach on Senate Coalition

A spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo declined to pick sides in the state Senate’s brand new power-sharing agreement, instead brushing it aside as an “internal legislative matter.”

Josh Vlasto, Cuomo’s primary spokesman, said the Democratic governor would take a wait-and-see approach.

“This is an internal legislative matter,” Vlasto said in a statement. “The most important thing is to have a functional senate that passes the Governor’s progressive agenda to advance the State of New York. The Governor will withhold judgment until he sees how the Senate functions and acts on critical issues facing the state.”

Senate Republicans and the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference struck a deal earlier today to have equal authority in the chamber, seemingly relegating the main Senate Democratic conference back to the minority after it made significant gains on Election Day.

Cuomo had previously pledged to stay out of the battle for control of the Senate, except to plead for a functioning chamber that allows work to get done.